NEW YORK — Alcoa Inc. claims that imports of aluminum alloy plate, sheet and strip from Indonesia are harmful to U.S. producers.

"Indonesia’s aluminum alloy product industry has become a globally competitive force, exporting higher volumes at lower per-unit values to the U.S. than even China with its famously aggressive commodity metals industries," Alcoa said in a filing to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) obtained by AMM. "Alcoa and other U.S. producers compete directly with Indonesian aluminum alloy product imports every day."

Alcoa has asked the USTR to deny a request for a competitive need limit waiver for Indonesia’s aluminum alloy sector, which it said would "exacerbate the harm to Alcoa and other U.S. producers."

Indonesia shipped 12,661 tonnes of aluminum alloy products to the United States in the first two months of this year, up 55.2 percent from 8,159 tonnes in the same period last year, according to International Trade Commission data.